A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEARA CrimeReads Best Crime Novel Notable selection Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Renée Ballard come together again on the murder case that obsessed Bosch’s mentor, the man who trained him—new from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who … Michael Connelly
Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and light the fire of relentlessness for every case. Now that mentor, John Jack Thompson, is dead, and his widow gives Bosch a murder book, one that Thompson took with him when he left the LAPD twenty years before — the unsolved killing of a troubled young man.
Bosch takes the murder book to Detective Renée Ballard and asks her to help him discover what about this crime lit Thompson’s fire all those years ago. As she begins her inqueries — while still working her own cases on the midnight shift — Ballad finds aspects of the initial investigation that just don’t add up.
The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigation team. And they soon arrive at a disturbing question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?
Written with the intense pacing and masterful suspense that have made Michael Connelly “the hard-boiled fiction master of our time” (NPR), The Night Fire continues the unofficial partnership of two fierce detectives determined not to let the fire with burn out.
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Renee Ballard is a great addition. I love the interaction between Bosch and Ballard. Wonderful book.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit I had never read a book by uber-talented, uber-successful Michael Connelly until I downloaded The Night Fire. It didn’t take long to understand what I had been missing out on all these years. Though I jumped into a series with long-established characters, I never left like I was missing anything, thanks to Connelly’s discreet insertion of any backstory relevant to what was going down.
And there’s a whole lot going down in this story. It starts with the bizarre “accidental” cremation of a homeless man, then moves on to the trial of a mentally ill man accused of killing a judge, and a decades old unsolved homicide case that no one wants to touch, except for ostracized ex-cop Harry Bosch and his young female counterpart, Renée Ballard.
All of this is garnished with subplots that come with their own backstories that ultimately tie everything up in a nice, tidy, thoroughly satisfying package. It was thrilling reading all the way through, to the point I could hardly pull myself away from my Kindle. It was pitch perfect on every level as all the moving parts dovetailed into the dramatic conclusion. I’m absolutely hooked on Connelly’s writing and so look forward to reading more by him.
Excellent book, I couldn’t put it down. It had all my favorite Harry Bosch characters, Rene Ballard, Harry and his half-brother the Lincoln lawyer. I look forward to another book in the series. I highly recommend it, a great read for a cold and snowy winter weekend.
Any book that brings a tear to my eye at the end gets five stars. Not only a twisty, fast-paced, engaging mystery/thriller, but features a unique team of sleuths I would like to know personally. Boomer Harry Bosch and millennial Renee Ballard are each intriguing characters on their own, but the dynamics between them and the relationship they build as unconventional partners adds a deeper dimension to the story. Anxious to read the next Ballard/Bosch adventure.
Not his best but ok.
I enjoy the books with the new detective more than the Bosch books. They started out great but spend too much time lately with deep internal thrashing by Bosch.
He’s in a class of his own.
It was just ok
Love all of his books!
*4 Stars*
Another great instalment in the Bosch and Ballard series. Lots of things going on in this one, but they all come together in the end as usual. Not really sure what to say except that I enjoyed this one as per usual with Michael Connelly books, and I look forward to more in the future.
Connelly is one of my favorites. His characters are remarkable and memorable; reading each Bosch tale is like hanging out with an old, but interesting, friend.
Love the characters
Connelly is still my favorite author!
This is a typical Connelly fast paced, fascinating book. I love Harry Bosch and want to believe there are men and women out there who are on a relentless pursuit of justice.
Really good. Love his writing and this is a great read! Also look for my son’s self published book, due in March, False Assurances. A good follow on read to Michael’s work!
Michael Connelly is my all-time favorite author! I have read every book he has written & this most recent one is fantastic. The partnership between Harry Bosch & Renee Ballard is pitch perfect & has me on the seat of my pants for the next one.
This is the third novel teaming up LAPD female detective Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch together with Bosch’s half-brother Mickey Haller to solve a murder. Bosch is given a murder book from his previous mentor when he was a young detective John Jack Thompson which is based on a cold case from 1990. I really enjoyed reading this contemporary urban fiction novel
Loveicharl Connelly’s books. So intriguing!!
Prefer Bosch without Ballard. Ballard is too much trouble or just avoiding trouble to make the plot wander.
Connelly is always on the mark. Entertaining and terrific character development.